Fidelio - Sydney Opera House - 30 July 2009

An unexpected triumph by Sarah Noble

Beethoven: Fidelio Opera Australia Sydney Opera House 30 July 2009

Most of the hype for Opera Australia's Winter Season has focused on the obvious headliners: Graeme Murphy's splashy new Aida, for instance, and a long run of The Mikado starring homegrown heartthrob Anthony Warlow. Amidst all that buzz one might be forgiven for overlooking or underestimating the company's revival of Beethoven's Fidelio, especially after the withdrawal of star soprano Lisa Gasteen, who was to sing the title role. Yet this Fidelio proves that you don't need a new staging, ubiquitous banner ads or even a superstar diva in the lead to create a hit show. Gasteen or no Gasteen, the show has more than its share of star power. Julian Gavin is a stupendous Florestan, solemn and clarion-voiced. He tackles Beethoven's fiendish vocal writing with sure-footed power, offering a persuasive portrayal of the downtrodden yet defiant political prisoner. Even better is Peter Coleman-Wright, as a sensationally evil Don Pizarro, his dark baritone laced with venom and murderous intent. His "Ha, welch ein Augenblick!" is especially terrifying: the stuff of particularly compelling nightmares. On opening night Coleman-Wright charmingly carried his villainous act right into his curtain call, answering the crowd's affectionate boos with a suitably melodramatic swirl of his cape. The greatest triumph of opening night belonged, however, to our Fidelio. Nicole Youl, Gasteen's replacement in the role, having succumbed to a malady of her own, we heard instead rising Australian-Canadian dramatic soprano Elizabeth Stannard. Not only was Stannard making a début in a massively difficult role, she was doing so at extraordinarily short notice, a prior commitment having meant she was unable to join the cast until just the previous day. If she felt herself thrown in at the deep end, it didn't show. Stannard's attentive, if slightly (and understandably) awkward stage presence was impressive given her lack of rehearsal, and she sang with confident, expressive artistry, her facility with the role's challenging runs and wide tessitura easily compensating for a slight lack of heft. It was a significant success by any standards: Stannard's performance would have done her credit even had she been cast in the show from start.

Stellar singing in this production is not limited to this powerful trio. Lorina Gore is a superlative Marzelline, her sparkling soprano slicing deftly through the densest of Beethoven's orchestration without losing its sweetness. Marzelline could easily come across as silly or saccharine, but Gore imbues her instead with real pluck and a trace of dignity, and her radiant presence stands out in the first act's sublime quartet. Stephen Smith is equally impressive as the smitten porter, Jaquino, matching light, graceful singing to an irresistible stage presence. As a 2009 Young Artist, Smith has succeeded in a number of smallish roles this season, but his excellent Jaquino is easily the best of them. Conal Coad brings his characteristic mix of wit, warmth and sonorous, stylish singing to Rocco, the flawed but goodhearted jailer, while Warwick Fyfe is striking in his brief appearance as Don Fernando, the Minister of State, singing with solid authority and looking eerily like Napoleon. There's a typically strong showing from the chorus as well, particularly its men, who sing with soft, transcendent voice in the opera's justly famous Prisoners' Chorus. Cathy Dadd directs this revival of Michael Hampe's seventeen year old production with all the vitality of a brand new vision. Hampe's staging and John Gunter's lavish, visually bold sets and costumes are all resolutely traditional, and Dadd's strong instincts ensure that this quality is never synonymous with stuffiness or boredom. Special mention is due also to Nigel Levings's lighting design: his imagination and sensitivity are vital in an opera so concerned with light and darkness. Conductor Jonathan Darlington's inspired leadership draws out some of the most refined, coherent and simply beautiful playing the AOBO has offered this season, giving appropriate weight to the complexity of Beethoven's orchestral writing without disregarding the singers. Dadd and Darlington are indeed partners in crime, or rather in triumph. As a pair of unifying forces, they draw together all the individually excellent strands of this Fidelio to form a brilliant whole which, however unexpectedly, is one of the company's finest achievements this season.

Text © Sarah Noble Photos © Branco Gaica